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Santa Cecilia in Trastevere
Santa Cecilia in Trastevere St Cecilia in Trastevere 22 Piazza di Santa Cecilia Church dedicated to St Cecilia, 2nd century Roman martyr and patron of musicians. History The first church on the site was built in the 3rd or 5th century, and the baptistery from this church was found during excavations, situated underneath the present Chapel of Relics. A house from the Imperial era was also found, and tradition claims that the church was built over the house in which St Cecilia lived. This house was one of the tituli, the first parish churches of Rome, known as the titulus Ceciliae. The church was rebuilt by Pope Paschal I (817-824). At that time, the martyr's remains were brought from the catacombs of St Calixtus. The present church is a result of 18th century rebuilding, performed on orders from the titular of the church, Francesco Cardinal Acquaviva. Some older elements were preserved. The interior was partly restored in 1822 by Giacomo Cardinal Doria-Pamphilii, also titular priest of the church. Improvements were made to the crypt in 1889, and during the work remains of Roman houses from the Republican period were found. At the present time, the titular of the church is Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, S.J., Archbishop of Milan. Among the former titulars of the church are Adam Cardinal Easton of Hertford, who is buried here (see below), and Cardinal Wolsey. Exterior The Romanesque campanile is from the 12th or 13th century. In front of the church is a beautiful courtyard. It is especially nice in the spring, when the flowers are in bloom. In the centre is a large water vessel, a cantharus, which is ancient. The façade was designed in 1725 by Ferdinando Fuga, who had been commissioned by Francesco Cardinal Aquaviva d'Aragona, titular priest of the church 1709-1724. The cardinal's coat-of-arms is displayed. The columns are ancient, and were installed here in the 12th century. In the mosaic frieze, you can see the heads of Sts Cecilia, her husband Valerianus, her brother-in-law Tiburtius, Pope Urban I and other saints. Several medieval tombs and inscription, as well as fragments of sculpture, can be seen in the walls. A convent, occupied by the white-habited Benedictine nuns of St Cecilia, lies adjacent to the church. They were installed here by Pope Clement VII (1523-1534), but the building was a monastery from the time of Pope Paschal I. The lambs from Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura are sent here until their wool is needed for a pallium. The pallia are then woven here and presented to the sub-deacons at San Giovanni in Laterano, who pass them on the sub-deacons of Basilica di San Pietro. There, they are placed in a golden casket above the tomb of St Peter. Interior The 24 Corinthian columns are from the first church. They were removed during restoration, but were again placed in the church in the early 19th century in a restoration ordered by Giorgio Cardinal Doria, titular priest of the church 1818-1837. The vault has paintings by Sebastiano Conca from about 1727, depicting the Coronation of St Cecilia. The Chapel of the Bath or balneum Ceciliae, reached through a corridor off the right-hand nave, is said to be the bath in which St Cecilia was martyred. This is based on information in a Life from the 5th century, so it is uncertain. It has a tondo, The Beheading of St Cecilia from 1601, and a canvas, The Angel's Coronation of Sts Cecilia and Valerian from 1600, both by Guido Reni. The floor and altar have Cosmatesque decoration. The paintings in the corridor leading to the bath are by Pomerancio and Paul Brill. In front of the sanctuary, you can see Stefano Maderno's beutiful effigy. Pope Paschal's discovery of her body in a catacomb in the 9th century is depicted in a 12th or 13th century fresco at the end of the aisle. Paolo Cardinal Sfodrati, titular priest of the church 1591-1618, re-opened her tomb in 1599, and when he found her body intact and incorrupt he asked Maderno to make a sculpture of her. The sculptor's inscription can still be seen on the floor, testifying that she was depicted just as he saw her. The Gothic canopy was made, and signed, by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1292 (1283 or 1293 according to some sources). It is supported by four columns of black and white marble, and has Cosmatesque decoration. The apse mosaic, in Byzantine style, is from about 820, showing Christ blessing, crowned by the Hand of God. Christ wears Roman clothes with lati clavi, a sign of high rank. He is flanked by St Paul, St Cecilia, Pope Paschal I (with a miniature model of the church, identifying him as the builder and a square halo showing that he was still alive when the mosaic was made), St Peter, St Valerian and St Agatha. Below, 12 lambs surrounding the Lamb of God are seen leaving Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament has medieval frescoes. The Capella Ponzani/Ponzianica is closed of with a grille, but you can look through it to see frescoes of the school of Pinturicchio and Antonio da Viterbo. Among the members of the Ponzianica family, we find St Francesca Romana. The Chapel of Relics was designed by Luigi Vanvitelli. To the right of the main door is the tomb of Adam Cardinal Easton of Hertford (died 1398), who was titular of this church. The coat-of-arms on the tomb is that of the Plantagenet family, a branch of the English royal family. The monument was made by Paolo Romano. On the opposite side is the tomb of Niccolò Cardinal Forteguerri (died 1473) by Mino da Fiesole. The church has an upper gallery, originally used by women and now the nun's choir. In this gallery, you can see a fresco by Pietro Cavallini, the Last Judgement painted c. 1293. This painting is considered a turning point in the history of art, as it was one of the main inspirations for Renaissance art and thus marks the end of the Byzantine style. It's also the only surviving painting by Cavallini; a mosaic attributed to him can be see in nearby Santa Maria in Trastevere. It was covered up by a wall for several centuries, until it was rediscovered in 1900. As the nuns live strictly enclosed, the gallery is closed to the public most of the time. See below under 'Special notes' for details about entering the gallery. Excavations It is possible to see the excavations, for a small fee, if you find one of the priests that serve the church. The crypt is of unknown date, and was improved by Giovanni Battista Giovanale between 1899 and 1901 to house the sarcophagi of Sts Cecilia, Valerian and Tibertius as well as other martyrs. The renovation was ordered by Mariano Cardinal Rampolla del Tindaro, titular priest of the church 1887-1913. The cardinal is interred in a tomb by Enrico Quattrini made in 1929, found in a chapel on the right-hand side of the church. 5th century frescoes have been moved here. Other frescoes were made in the Neo-Byzantine style by G.B. Giovenale in 1899-1901. Houses from the 2nd and 3rd century have been excavated, and one of them is said to have belonged to St Cecilia. Traces of buildings from the Republican period have also been found. The area was a commercial district, and brick basins in the structure indicates that it was owned by a craftsman; it may have been a coriaria, a tannery. There are pagan shrines in the Roman houses. In a small niche in one of the rooms is a shrine to the Lares, the house deities. Such shrines would be found in all pagan Roman homes. Many fragments of pottery, architectural elements and inscriptions are displayed in the crypt. Special notes I recommend trying to see Cavallini's fresco in the gallery. As it is part of the convent, it is not open at all times. After Sunday Mass, at about 11:00 a.m., it is open for about 30 minutes, and it is also usually open on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00 to 11:30. Only a limited number of people are allowed to enter the gallery at any one time, and it might close earlier than the scheduled time. My advice is that you try to be there early, so that you can get in line to enter the gallery as soon as it opens. There is an entrance fee. You can ask here about a visit to the crypt as well. On Sundays Mass and Vesper are sung, with Gregorian chants, by the Benedictine sisters.